52 <strong>Magazine</strong> | Gardens “It’s certainly encouraging more wildlife – mainly cheeky blackbirds, dragonflies, may beetles, various water creatures… and countless little people. It’s a busy wee community.”
Gardens | <strong>Magazine</strong> 53 “I love that the pond can be dipped into during drought times for a bucket of water to toss on the garden – of course it collects any rainfall.” My dream is for a natural pond, but that’s not something I’ve achieved yet. I need to find the time to do more research. My current pond was dug during a Covid lockdown. I used the least useful part of the garden in terms of growing – a dry, low-lit area with tree roots and rock-hard clay soil. It’s also a sloped area, so I used the soil I dug out to build up a bank with a flattened top. (This was supposed to be used for seating and a fire pit, but somehow it ended up planted in perennials!) I draped a hose to ‘draw’ a shape that felt natural within the space. Then I dug it with a spade. All was going well until I struck a drainpipe with my spade and broke it. Luckily it was an easy fix, with a water-resistant adhesive sealant. By this stage Malcolm was looking on nervously. This is not uncommon; he knows my projects are often driven by an urgency to complete what’s in my mind’s eye, often with little or no practical knowledge… The pond dug, I sourced a decent-quality, UV-resistant plastic liner. A bit cheap and nasty but I didn’t want to use concrete in an area so full of tree roots. I got a little advice and reassurance from my friend Elizabeth. She is in her seventies and I’m in awe of her gardens, as well as her pond- making and building skills. Elizabeth used a digger to create huge farm ponds using polythene liners, so if they were good enough for her I was sold. The process was simple. Before laying the plastic liner I bedded the dug-out area with sand to protect the liner from any sharp objects. (I was advised against using old carpet as it often has tacks hiding in it.) Then I laid the plastic on the sand, leaving an allowance of a good 30 centimetres around the edge, and started to fill it with water. This is best done on a warmer day when the plastic is more malleable. As you fill, you can manipulate the polythene to get rid of creases. Once it was full and free of creases I trimmed the edges and disguised any visible liner with river stones and later plants. The pond is home to several goldfish – no frogs as yet, but fingers crossed they will find it soon. I haven’t installed a filter; instead I’m endeavouring to strike the perfect balance of pond plants to filter the water naturally – submerged (nitrogen fixers), floating (which protect the pond from the sun and therefore hamper algae growth) and marginal pond plants. Currently it still needs the occasional clean in the sunny months. I built in a wee drain hole and underground pipe that takes the dirty water to the driest area of my garden. It’s definitely a disadvantage that there is no naturally damp bog. Where a natural pond supports marginal plants, an artificial pond like mine goes straight from wet to dry – in my case to pretty awful heavy clay. To create the feeling of a more natural pond I dug an area around the edge and buried my left-over liner, punctured it roughly with a fork and filled it with rich compost. This is enough to retain some moisture and collect pond overflow in heavy rain. This edge is now home to many moisture-loving species: umbrella plant (Darmera peltata), Astilboides tabularis, Astilbe spp., Rodgersia spp. and Filipendula spp. I love that the pond can be dipped into during drought times for a bucket of water to toss on the garden – of course it collects any rainfall. I also love that it’s a perfect system: the fish nibble plants and their waste breaks down to feed the plants. It’s certainly encouraging more wildlife – mainly cheeky blackbirds, dragonflies, may beetles, various water creatures I don’t yet know the names of… and countless little people. It’s a busy wee community. Extracted from Secret Gardens of Aotearoa by Jane Mahoney & Sophie Bannan, photography by Jane Mahoney, Josephine Meachen & Sophie Bannan, published by Allen & Unwin NZ, RRP$50.
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